Lando Norris fastest in Friday practice at Dutch Grand Prix
McLaren driver Lando Norris was fastest overall in Friday practice ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix.
Lando Norris in the McLaren garage during the Dutch Grand Prix. (McLaren Racing)
Norris set a lap of 1:11.330 in free practice two after the day’s running was interrupted by multiple red flags as drivers pushed the limits of the Zandvoort circuit.
AlphaTauri driver Daniel Ricciardo suffered a broken hand in one incident after swerving to avoid the stricken car of Oscar Piastri.
Championship leader Max Verstappen was fastest in the opening session ahead of Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton, but times dropped into free practice two as teams focused on low-fuel running.
Norris went fastest, just two-hundredths of a second ahead of Max Verstappen, with Alex Albon third-fastest for Williams.
The best lap set by Norris was just over a second faster than the best time set in practice for last year’s Grand Prix by Charles Leclerc.
Lando Norris during practice at the Dutch Grand Prix. (McLaren Racing)
"A reasonable day,” said Norris, who was sixth-fastest in FP1 before his improvement in FP2.
“A nice way to end, in terms of position.”
“We did quite a bit of aero running this morning which cost us a little bit and we couldn’t quite focus on what we wanted to do from a pure performance perspective – but we knew that was going to happen, so we understood it. I think we got in a good rhythm and found a reasonable balance with the car.
“We’re looking good on low fuel, but we’ve got a bit of work to do on high fuel, so that’s our target tonight."
Verstappen remained positive after again showing dominant pace for Red Bull.
“Today was a good day, we tried a few different things on the car,” said the Dutchman.
Max Verstappen during free practice at the Dutch Grand Prix with Red Bull consultant Dr Helmut Marko and team principal Christian Horner. (Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool)
“There’s a couple of things we want to fine tune like the balance, but on the whole it was handling well, even on the long runs. The car has a lot of potential so hopefully we can have a good day tomorrow.”
“I’m feeling confident that we can be ahead in qualifying.
“I’m looking forward to getting back in the car tomorrow, it’s fantastic to see all the orange in the grandstands and around the track, I certainly feel the support.”
Tyre data from Friday practice - click to expand. (Pirelli)
Pirelli chief engineer Simone Berra noted that the cooler temperatures and a lack of comparative data between available tyre compounds may open up strategy options for Sunday’s grand prix.
“The relatively cooler temperatures could make the softest compound, the C3, a more plausible race tyre,” said Berra.
“The situation is therefore very open when it comes to Sunday’s tyre choice, which means a more interesting and uncertain weekend is in prospect.”
“In terms of the gaps between the compounds, the rapid track evolution means it is not yet possible to come up with reliable estimates, while one should also consider that the forecast says there is a significant chance of rain, especially for tomorrow, which is another unknown factor to take into consideration."
The Formula 1 field returns at 7.30pm Saturday for free practice three before qualifying at 11pm (AEST).
Watch every session of the Formula One World Championship on Kayo Sports.
